1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to thermal manikins.
2. Description of Prior Art
Thermal comfort of clothing systems can be evaluated subjectively by wearer trials but such trials can expose the wearer to danger in extreme conditions testing. Objective testing can also be carried out using flat plates and cylindrical methods to evaluate thermal properties of simple clothing, but practically applying results of such test in evaluating thermal comfort of clothing is not normally very useful. Thermal manikins have therefore been developed for providing more useful results.
Thermal comfort of clothing is mainly determined by the heat and moisture transferring through the clothing system. In order to optimize the clothing system so as to achieve maximum thermal comfort, considerable research has been carried out on the heat and moisture transfer through clothing systems over many years. The best simulation of a human body wearing clothing is achieved by testing clothing systems on thermal manikins. Presently thermal manikins can comprise these types. The first type are standing and non-perspiring. The second type are movable but non-perspiring.
The first or second types have been made perspiring by wetting such that the perspiration is supplied, in effect, from outside to the xe2x80x98skinxe2x80x99 using sprinklers or pipes.
Such methods of simulating perspiring tend to be poor in reproducibly Although manikins are useful tools for evaluating thermal comfort of overall clothing systems.
The third type of manikins are standing and perspiring. They are not widely used because of their relatively high cost.
It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least to reduce this problem.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a thermal manikin having a rigid perforated main frame, a closed breathable fabric skin extending over the frame and forming arms and legs of the manikin, a heater mounted inside the frame, water passages inside the manikin to direct water towards extremities of the arm and legs, and a pump to circulate water around the manikin to simulate a natural blood flow of a human body.
The heater is preferably mounted in a chest of the manikin.
The arms and legs may be arranged so that they can be swung backwards and forwards to simulate walking.
An externally mounted topping-up gauge may be provided to enable measurable quantities of water to be added to the inside of the manikin to provide accurate determinations of how much water has used during a testing period.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of measuring thermal comfort of clothes which comprises clothing a thermal manikin, in which the manikin has a rigid perforated main frame, a closed breathable fabric skin extending over the frame and forming arms and legs of the manikin, a heater mounted inside the frame, water passages inside the manikin to direct water towards extremities of the arms and legs, and a pump to circulate water around the manikin to simulate a natural blood flow of a human body, and simultaneously determining Clo (thermal resistance of the clothing) and Im (the permeability index of the clothing).